Tolerate: to allow;exist or occur without interference.
Intolerance: unable or indisposed to tolerate; unwillingness to recognise and respect

I have always considered myself quite a nice person. I like food of all shapes, flavours and colours. From every country and continent. I don’t discriminate, I am an equal opportunity eater. It’s only the doctors who say I’m intolerant. And certain foods who refuse to tolerate me. They certainly refuse to recognise and respect my right to eat them without major physical discomfort and distress.

Gluten and lactose are not my friends.

Despite the negative attitudes surrounding me from many of those I love best, (cakes, ice cream, hot toast) I decided to become a chef. Not always easy when you live in a bread and milk filled world. I like to think that this has helped me become a better person as I embrace my differences and refuse to let the gluten get me down. I believe InTolerance. I am the InTolerant Chef.

Food should not be about what you can’t eat, but what you can and what you enjoy eating. This blog is about my journey of cooking and eating and discovery. It’s not a definitive guide to allergy awareness nor do my intolerances make me an expert. Your body is your responsibility, not mine. I only know what works for me.

I can tell you this..... No glutens were harmed in the making of this website.

April 24, 2012

Comfort Zone

Has the earth moved for you recently Dear Readers?

Well it certainly did for me a few days ago when I was rudely woken up by an earthquake!!

It was a small earthquake admittedly, but still a real one, and not at all a common occurrence around here. There was a deep rumbling, groaning, noise from the mountains that went on and on, and a bit of window rattling. BigJ and I just lay there in the dark saying 'No way! That had to be an earthquake! No, it couldn't- could it?' The cat came racing down to stare out our window, and act brave, but the dog and children slept soundly through the lot.

The cat and I were a bit twitchy for the rest of the day.
Not through fear, it was just unsettling.

It wasn't until the afternoon that I really thought about it, and realised I had spent the entire day in the kitchen. Baking puddings, making veggie soups and purees, lots of stuff I'd been putting off, but obviously in my Comfort Zone. The part of the house I feel most safe and comfortable in. Maybe it's the feeling of being surrounded by fire and sharp knives, or maybe it's the feeling of warmth and scented steaminess raising from the bubbling pots, but I felt comfortable, and happy, and safe.

One of my jobs was to process a whole goodie bag of Jerusalem artichokes that my friendly local Garden Centre gave me. I had bought some to plant a while ago, but I left them a bit long and they didn't amount to anything, so the lovely people there generously gave me a full shopping bag to cook up and enjoy.

Have you tried Jerusalem Artichokes? They are rich and sweet and nutty, and make the most smooth, silky, sublime purees and soups indeed.
They are a member of the sunflower family and are sometimes even known as Sunchokes. They are quite healthy but with most the carbohydrate content stored as Inulin instead of starch. This is great for blood sugar, but also means that some people have trouble digesting this food, with rather noisy side effects indeed. Beans contain a small amount of inulin, but Jerusalem Artichokes contain a LOT more... I'll leave the rest to your imagination :)
When first eating these lovey tubers, it's best to start with small amounts, this will avoid any hassles or embarrassment the next day, so I decided to introduce you to a nice easy recipe that uses only a little but still showcases their deliciousness.

Seared Scallops on Jerusalem Artichoke Puree

Peel your artichokes. Pop them straight into some acidulated water to stop them turning brown

I like to double boil them. It can really help reducing any side effects.
Put them into cold water then bring it to the boil.

Drain immediately, then place them into a fresh pot of cold water, and cook until nice and tender

Drain, then place them back in the hot pot on a gentle heat to steam dry a bit- but watch them and don't let them stick or burn

You can now blend them in a blender, with a stick blender, or pass them through a fine sieve for extra silkiness
I like to put the puree back on the heat and while stirring, try and take out as much liquid as possible to have a really thick, rich paste.

This means I can add as much cream or butter as I want to the finished product without it being too runny

Ok, now for the scallops. Aren't these lovely ones indeed!

Pat the scallops dry, then drizzle with oil (not olive oil though or you'll smoke up your kitchen) and season with salt

Get your pan screaming hot, you want to get a good sear on these babies without letting them stew in their juices
Cook for only about 30 seconds a side, you don't want these to dry out they will keep cooking off the heat while you plate up

Place a nice splodge of hot puree on serving plate, or lovely scallop shell

Nestle the scallops into the bed of yumminess, then drizzle with a little oil- I used truffle oil, just cause I could :P, then top with some thin and crispy fried Jerusalem artichoke chips for a bit of textural contrast

Oh So Good! What a lovely elegant starter for a dinner party, and a lovely way to introduce a new delicious vegetable to your guests as well, Yummo!

So Dear Readers, have you ever experienced an earthquake, and how did it make you feel?

31 comments:

This looks divine! I have never tried Jerusalem artichokes before...with seared scallops? What is not to love, yummm! p.s. we had an earthquake last month - the whole house shook. Luckily is was over in a few seconds. It is unsettling for sure!

A neighbour gave us some jeruasalem artichokes a couple of weeks ago... I wish you had written this post earlier!!! (I didn't double-boil... 'nuff said?)As for earthquakes??? Harden up baby! I live in the shaky isles... we worry if we HAVEN'T had an earthquake for a while!!! Unless, of course, you live near Christchurch - in which case, you just want the bloody things to STOP! - poor sods. XO

I didn't know Canberra had an earthquake this week! They are frightening aren't they, even the little ones. You always give such helpful information with your recipes. And these scallops on artichoke puree are presented just perfectly. What a wonderful recipe - you're family is very blessed! xx

I didn't realise there was a small earthquake at your neck of the woods.

Just out of curiousity, isn't it hard to peel those artichokes with all the rough edges? I find it hard to peel ginger as I don't like the wasteful method of just slicing off the skin. It not easy cooking scallops to perfection and yours look brilliant with that golden brown colour.

Hey Chopinand! I don't have any trouble, but I do use a really sharp D style peeler and just thinly glide over all the knobbly bits. If there are a few that are very branchy I break them up to get in all the cracks- same with ginger. If I'm grating ginger I just don't bother to peel it at all. I find that a very fine grater or microplane tends to leave the skin on the top and not pass it through with the juicy gratings at all.Thanks, scallops dry out so quickly- the secret is a very hot pan and just a quick blast of heat.

Not much exciting happens down here you see Lorraine, this will be conversation for weeks :)They are so worth while aren't they? But I don't usually see them at the supermarkets, mostly the fresh markets.

Thanks GG! The crisps are so easy too, just thinly slice the artichoke and deep fry it in about a cm of oil in a small pan. They will go lovely and golden, but not go crispy properly until you fish them out.

You so have to give them a go Heidi, they are delicious!I did feel very indulgent indeed with these luxurious ingredients, especially when I drizzled on the truffle oil. I just felt there was something a bit odd about eating these standing in the kitchen in my trackies and barefeet for a snacky lunch, instead of dressed nicely and seated by candlelight for dinner :)

I'm glad you are fine and yes - I did expirience a really big earthquake. The scariest thing was I was not with either one of my children when it happened and it took a while for me to find out if they were ok - the most terrifying moments of my life!

I love your presentation here and the recipe is right up my alley, really lovely.

About Me

The InTolerant Chef is the nom-de-plume of The InTolerant Chef.She lives in Canberra,Australia,with her husband Big J, and 2 daughters, Little j and Middle C. Gluten and Lactose are not her friends. She also has many chemicals who refuse to tolerate her, and insulin finds her hard to resist. Despite all this, the InTolerant Chef is a healthy,happy person who loves cooking for her family and friends.